Ghostsare spirits of the dead that some living people can see. They are often associated with anger and aggression and that’s due to them not being able to cross on to the afterlife. Anime can include anything from ghost hunters trying to get rid of troublesome beings to characters befriending the beings and getting their help. No matter the reason, ghosts often pop up in the media. They’re interesting, often have special abilities, and give people a glimpse into the unknown realm of the dead.
There are plenty of other dead beings similar to ghosts. Spirits aren’t as aggressive (though ghosts aren’t always, either), ghouls eat dead bodies, and Yōkai are similar to demons, though not in the Western world’s meaning of the word. Because of these distinctions, some shows should be excluded from lists of ghosts in anime, such asBakemonogatari,Blue Exorcist, andDeath Note.
Updated August 05, 2025, by Hamza Haq:The fascination with ghosts and ghostly characters is not nearly as prevalent in Japanese culture as it is in Western culture, with most Japanese mythology revolving around supernatural beings like yokai instead. That said, due to cultural blending, ghost characters are slowly starting to enter mainstream anime, though they’re rarely portrayed identically to how they appear in Hollywood. Some ghosts in anime, however, are so iconic that people sometimes even forget they were supposed to be ghosts in the first place, recognizing them instead by their other notable characteristics.
13Dimple
Mob Psycho 100
Mob Psycho 100is, at its heart,a show aboutghost hunting. It stands to reason that there are tons of ghost characters in the show, though one stands out as a main character. Dimple originally appears as the leader of the “(LOL)” cult, but he sticks around after he’s exorcized to the chagrin of pretty much everybody else.
In his ghost form, he appears as a wispy cloud of green smoke, or, according to Teru, a ‘nasty-looking floating energy bulb’. His signature is the bright red circles on his cheeks, that appear on any human he possesses.
12Shadi
Yu-Gi-Oh!
There are several ghosts in the originalYu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monstersanime, though many may be considered non-traditional. The only traditional ghost in the show is Shadi, a mysterious figure that often appears at the end of story arcs to provide much-needed exposition.
The main character, Yugi, can also be said to be possessed by a ghost. Yami Yugi, known as ‘the other Yugi’, is a ghost that lives inside the Millennium Puzzle that Yugi Muto wears, and is unaware ofhis own history as an Egyptian pharaoh. Similarly, Ryou Bakura is often possessed by a (far more malicious) spirit that inhabits the Millennium Ring.
11Yukine
Noragami
Next up is Yukine from Noragami. Appearing as Yato, the protagonist god’s Regalia, Yukine is a former humanthat can transform into Yato’s weaponat any time. While the anime alludes to it, the Manga confirms that Yukine had an extremely rough childhood and likely came from an abusive family.
In his human form, Yukine appears as a short, blond teenager. He’s blunt, honest, has a strong sense of justice, and is a loyal friend. Compared to his upbringing, he seems to be doing a lot better in ghost form.
10Reimi Sugimoto
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable
Reimi Sugimoto appears in the ‘Diamond Is Unbreakable’ arc ofJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, a unique anime series that follows the family tree of the Joestar family as they discover they are destined to take down supernatural foes using powers that they possess. Reimi haunts the Ghost Girl’s alley, a hidden road that serves as a sort of purgatory.
Kind, joyful, and caring, Reimi is far from the stereotypical scary ghost. Her ‘unfinished business’ is to take down the serial killer that murdered her. While this is a gruesome goal, Reimi remains the optimistic and charasmatic girl she was in life.
9Ghosts From The Unseen World
Ghost Hound
The human and the spirit realm bleed into one another in the town of Suiten. Ghost appearances start to spread through the town, and it’s up to three high school boys to investigate. Tarō, Makoto, and Masayuki have all lived through childhood trauma and because of this, can see the weird occurrences.
They can enter the Unseen World, home to ghosts, even though no humans are supposed to have that ability. Upon entering, they encounter their traumas head-on. The local Shinto priest and his daughter, Miyako, must help the boys handle this scary situation.
8Mei Misaki
Another
Kouichi Sakakibara is a transfer student to class 3-3 of Yomiyama North Junior High. He is drawn to one of his new classmates, Mei Misaki, who he met while away from school in the hospital. She has an eyepatch and is reserved. None of the other students seem to acknowledge her or her existence, as if they can’t see her.
A rumor circulates about a previous student and a grim event. However, the other classmates are unwilling to share the details with Kouichi. He must find out how this incident is connected to his new friend. Several tragedies arise tothem in the cursed class, and they must work together to solve the mystery surrounding them, though it may come at a big price.
7Naho Saenoki
Corpse Party: Tortured Souls
Heavenly Host Elementary School was closed after several serial kidnappings and murders in the area. Years later, another school is built on top of the old one. Students tell scary tales based on true stories. In the new school, nine high schoolers conduct a seemingly harmless ritual to be friends forever.
Things go wrong when they are teleported to another dimension where the murders from the previous school took place. The students are murdered in gruesome ways by thevengeful ghostof a little girl and her vengeful minions. The surviving students must escape before they befall the same fate as their friends. Naho Saenoki is the ghost of a famous blogger the highschoolers consult in order to aid them in performing the ritual to solve this problem.
6Amanojaku
Ghost Stories
Satsuki Miyanoshita moves to the town where her mother died. On her first day of school, she visits an abandoned building with her brother Keiichiro, neighbor Hajime Aoyama, and students Momoko Koigakubo and Leo Kakinoki. They discover that thebuilding is hauntedand that Satsuki’s mother sealed away ghosts in the town.
They find out that the ghosts are being released accidentally as the town is renovated. The group must use the book Satsuki’s mother left behind to exorcise the ghosts and demons for good. If not, the monsters will take over their hometown.
5Hanako
Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun
Nene Yashiro is a student at Kamome Academy, a school known forsupernatural happenings. She loves the occult and wants a boyfriend. There’s an urban legend of a girl who haunts the bathroom and can grant wishes if a price is paid. Nene tries this, but the spirit is a boy named Hanako-san.
Nene finds she is spiritually bound to him. She becomes his assistant, helping him destroy evil creatures and restore the balance between the human and spirit world. As she gets closer to him though, she learns that he has a mysteriously dark past.
4Menma Honma
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
Jinta Yadomi doesn’t leave his house after the death of his childhood friend Menma Honma. He’s drifted apart from his friends after this event. One hot summer day, Menma sees his dead friend but thinks it’s the heat making him hallucinate. However, her repeated appearance forces him to realize she is there.
Menma asks him to grant her a final wish, to help her pass on to the afterlife. Jinta must reunite with his friends and work together to grant her request. But to do this, they must relive thepain, guilt, and griefsurrounding her death.
